Quinta de Santiago e Mira do Ó - SOU Branco 2023

Quinta de Santiago e Mira do Ó - SOU Branco 2023 is a minimal-intervention white from the prestigious Monção e Melgaço sub-region (Vinho Verde). It's a joint project between producer Joana Santiago (of Quinta de Santiago) and winemaker Nuno Mira do Ó, united by friendship and a shared passion for Rock 'n' Roll.

The Wine Advocate
RP 93

Bright citrine in colour, it looks clean and elegant in the glass. The nose shows great complexity and seriousness, moving away from the more exuberantly tropical profile towards notes of ripe apricot, lemon leaf, fine spice, wild flowers and an expressive mineral side evoking wet stone.

On the palate it's very dry, tense and deep, with an enveloping texture and vibrant acidity carrying the wine to a long, deeply food-friendly finish. The oak is perfectly integrated, adding complexity without ever overshadowing the purity of the fruit and minerality.

The result of the collaboration between Quinta de Santiago and Nuno Mira do Ó — now also the estate's consultant winemaker — this Alvarinho was partly aged in used French oak barrels for nine months, keeping freshness, precision and an extremely elegant profile. At just 12.8% alcohol, it impresses with its balance, freshness and ageing capacity.

A white of great class, both sophisticated and precise, confirming SOU Branco as one of the most serious and exciting interpretations of contemporary Alvarinho.